USDA Says Pork Is Safe to Eat

(NEWSER) - Countries are tightening borders and stepping up containment methods as the swine flu body count continues to rise, the New York Times reports. The disease is suspected in 152 deaths, all in Mexico; 50 US cases are now confirmed from California to New York City. Health officials in Japan and at least eight other Asian countries are now screening anyone arriving from North America. More»

10 students infected with mild strain after returning from Mexico

(AP) - Ten students from New Zealand who just returned from Mexico have tested positive for influenza, and the country's health minister said the cases are "likely" to be swine flu. The students were quarantined after returning to New Zealand yesterday, and one student had to be hospitalized. The minister added that none of the patients was seriously ill and they seemed to be recovering. More»

(NEWSER) - The hysteria over the swine flu pandemic has spawned its share of magic cures, and health authorities are busy combating the snake oil salesmen, the Financial Times reports. Nearly half of the warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers and retailers since May have been issued to those hawking products that purportedly combat the H1N1 threat. “Not only are these claims illegal but we also consider them a potentially significant threat to public health,” the FDA says. More»

Alert level lowered after no new infections reported for a week

(NEWSER) - Mexico City has lifted all measures introduced to curb the spread of swine flu, and changed its alert status to the lowest level, the BBC reports. "We can calm down now," said Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, telling residents they no longer have to wear masks. No new cases of the H1N1 strain have been reported in the city for over a week. More»

H1N1 virus likely arose among jet-setting humans

(NEWSER) - The humble porker shouldn't be the one taking the blame for the H1N1 virus, scientists tell the Los Angeles Times. Pigs provided some of the raw material for the virus, experts say, but so did birds and humans. The most likely incubators and spreaders of the virus, according to scientists, were jet-setting humans whose bodies mixed and matched different strains of flu. More»